Embracing Humanity
by W Blankenship
Summary: Life on Omega.  Good while it lasts.  The story follows Ethan Bowers, a newcomer to Omega. -Many of the events of Mass Effect 2 that took place on Omega are seen here from a different perspective.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Mass Effect or Bioware.

Prologue

"Evil is always devising more corrosive misery through _man's_ restless need to exact revenge out of his _hate._"_ -_Ralph Steadman

It was quiet. The many luxurious rooms that made up the VIP sections of the Afterlife were insulated well to cancel the roaring music just outside. The furnishings were similar though the lighting was almost too dim to appreciate them.

As I was escorted in by the two large krogan sentries they separated left and right revealing the only seat at the table. A single light shined right over my head much like an interrogation room. My interrogator sat opposite of me. The light, still dim, was purposed to hide her identity, but everyone in that room knew who she was. There was an uneasy pause before she spoke.

"Do you know why I brought you here today?" she questioned.

"No." I answered simply.

"You have been creating problems here on Omega and while they are directed at the Eclipse, they still affect business for everyone, which includes me. So you can choose to continue your _'business'_ with the Eclipse under my strict supervision and employment, or your little war will end here today."

I reach for my jacket pocket but suddenly stop as the sound of two heavy krogan shotguns are raised and pumped.

"If I may?" I ask with caution.

I hear a small grunt of disappointment as Aria gestures for her guards to lower their weapons. I procure a small medallion from my pocket. The high polish finish reflects the intense light from overhead. The twisted chain link neck piece twirls the medallion in place displacing the light across the room.

"If you were to take one word that describes your entire species what would it be? Honor, wisdom, longevity, pride? All of them are accurate. You asari embody all of these qualities do you not?" I could tell her mind was already working ahead trying to figure me out. "I mean you have proven time and again this is true. Asari Commandos are highly disciplined and very deadly. You have many of the galaxy's brightest scientist and greatest thinkers. You are masters of diplomacy and some the greatest leaders and orators of our time are asari, would you agree?" Aria simply nods in agreement.

As the medallion slowly loses its momentum I squeeze it tightly in my fist. "Now what word would describe my species?" The anger and venom in my tone are clearly present. "I'll go ahead and tell you…HATE. That is what we are, that is what we take in with every breath we breathe. Our first and strongest emotion is hate. It is our sickness and it is our strength. We hate all other species, we hate our brothers, our sisters, ourselves. Every technological advance we make, its first purpose is for warfare and death." In my rage I rise to my feet and gesture to the two guards behind me. "Don't compare us to Krogans! Yes, they have a heritage of violence and war! It courses through their veins as well, but our violence extends beyond war, we murder for pleasure and little gain! When we do not have a common enemy we turn and kill each other! We murder our friends, our loved ones, and our family!" Again I can hear the guards starting to get anxious as they raise their weapons at my outburst.

I slowly sit back down in my chair. My tone is more collected and calm as I redirect my thoughts. "The reasons vary from victim to victim, some are for revenge others for no reasons other than jealousy. We do this day in and day out. We commit horrible crimes against ourselves, we exterminate each other because of our views and opinions. Our history is splattered with the blood of every generation since our origin and we are complacent with it. Wars upon wars have been fought for land, for material, for God, for everything, and for nothing. From our ancient ancestors to our present we have killed and killed and killed." I pause again thinking of her. "Genocide is our way of life. We are masters of this craft." I look at the medallion one last time. "I am on her side and that is the only reason I am still here." I lay the medallion on the table and slide it towards Aria. "Once I see to it that everyone responsible has paid then, and only then will I go. So with that said…are you willing to go to war with me?" I can tell that Aria is unmoved by my words as she remains motionless and ready to give the kill order to the krogans behind me. I again reach for my jacket and slowly pull it away from my left side to reveal a small transceiver surgically implanted into my heart with a remote independent kill switch.

"If this is removed or my blood stops its flow… you, me, and everyone on this station dies."


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Mass Effect or Bioware

Day One: Arrival

_From the deepest desires often come the deadliest hate_.-Socrates

I'm not an elite soldier, but that doesn't mean I don't know how to fight. I spent four years in the Alliance military as a mechanical engineer. Mostly developmental work with heavy kinetic weapons machinery. Which is to say I helped to develop the large weapon arrays on most of our fleet's class delta dreadnaughts.

My contract was up but I decided to stay for a couple more years to gain more technical skills. I chose explosives, it's the best thing I could think of that would transition nicely into chemical engineering. I know I wouldn't have the knowledge that most chemical specialist have, but at least I would have somewhere to work from. Two years went by as quick as they had started and my CO began pushing the issue of making me into a career military man. I gave it some thought, but I was tired of the grind and sought prospects elsewhere.

At first thought Omega would seem like a bad place to be if you are human. On the contrary, if you had the money most other species didn't care what you were.

I thought I knew what to expect leaving Alliance space and heading into the Terminus systems. I thought to myself _this is a tough neighborhood, but I can hack it._ As I was riding along on the transport ship to carry us to Omega thoughts of regret passed by. I say this because the "us" in the ship was filled with sand pushers, mercenaries, a couple of rival gang candidates (namely eclipse and blue suns), and a whole assortment of low life scum. The transport itself was actually not a transport for people, more or less for cargo. The charter captain had fitted it with seats that faced each other in three large columns that spanned the length of the hold. Not comfortable but practical.

As we neared the station I could see that Omega was nothing more than a relic, just barley above space junk which added to my discomfort. On our final approach I could feel the sudden deceleration as we neared the station.

I checked my omni tool and made sure it was calibrated to the official time on Omega. Days, weeks, months, years, no longer have any standard value in galactic space especially when every station, planet, ship, and god forsaken rock has a different value for every single one of those period measurements. Planets have different rotational speeds and different radii from their parent star which in turn defines their revolutionary intervals which defines how long their 'years and days' are. The Citadel has its own official time, but that only influences ships and planets within Citadel space. Every species has their own system of measuring time as well, but that is only the official time if inside their 'space' so to speak. I personally have developed my own thirty six hour 'day' based on a standard sixty minute hour. It is quite a hassle to keep up with the time of your location not to mention your own internal clock.

As I look up from checking the time the interior of the ship was suddenly illuminated with a deep red glow that began to pulse. It reminded of the battle stations alert that I had so often been drilled on during my stay with the Alliance. I peered outside and spotted that marker buoys illuminated the course to our destination and our passing by was creating the light show.

Passengers began shuffling and stretching as they anticipated our arrival. Needless to say my spirit was plummeting, until I heard her. It was the laugh that caught my attention. It's a funny thing, if you hear someone laughing what's the first thing you do? You either smile or chuckle to yourself.

Two asari sat opposite me and two seats to my left. Oddly enough they were half dressed in Eclipse recruit combat armor. One's skin was a deep magenta that seemed to glow. her face was of a lighter shade that deepened towards the edges. Her face and forearms were kissed with beautiful blue markings that would catch the eye of anyone passing by her. The other was of a lighter blue and also had a beautiful array of white makings that ran the lengths of her arms.

The blue one of the two decided to catch some sleep during the ride. She must have been a heavy dozer as the beacons didn't seem to phase her from rest. Her friend tried waking her up several times unsuccessfully, and in a last ditch effort slapped her on the back of her head. She jolted to life frightened and breathing heavily. That's when I heard her laugh, and that's also when the other now awoken asari spotted me ogling them.

"Don't even get near that thought human." She grumbled.

Obviously she was angry from being woken up. I thought about a quick comeback , but since I was the only human that I could see on the transport I decided not to create a scene. I simply looked out my window again., but that did not last. Unable to help myself I shot a quick glance in their direction again. To my surprise I saw the magenta one whispering to her unhappy friend.

I could still see the hand covered smile around her face as her eyes met my own. My first thought was defensive, _great now they are laughing at me cause this stupid human has nothing else on his mind other than getting some asari tail_.

I was surprised to see the magenta asari standing up to approach me. I was caught off guard and a little panicked. Only a couple of feet away from me she bent over until our eyes were level. Her eyes now closer and more beautiful than my imagination could ever conjure up. Water or the oceans would not be a good descriptor. The blue in her eyes were too intense, too vibrant.

"I apologize for my older sister. She…is a little over protective." she hesitated searching for the right words. I leaned slightly to my left and noticed her sister watching us very closely.

"No worries. She's just doing her job." Another pause. "My name is Ethan Bowers, it's my first time to visit omega. I'm starting over, going to try to make something of myself. And you?" I questioned trying earnestly to keep the conversations going.

"Oh, you're sure in for a surprise." She gritted her teeth. "This place can either make or break you. And my advice to you is to stay on this transport and go back to wherever you came from, trust me you don't want to be here." her tone was sincere as if she actually cared for my well being.

"And trust me, you're not the first person to say so. Sorry I never got your name." I questioned hopefully.

"Tiera V'Myre," she stated with a smile.

"So you and your sister," I leaned over again to my left, she was still watching ever closer, "You come here as eclipse recruits?"

"Yeah, we are not full members yet, but we will be soon." she stated with a hopeful tone. Suddenly the transport jolted violently as the docking bay arms clamped to the hull.

"Well it seems we have arrived. I wish you and your sister luck with the eclipse and hopefully this won't be the last time I see you."

"I wouldn't mind that either." she smiles and turns to rejoin her sister, as she does a small medallion swings from her neck.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer- I do not own Mass Effect or Bioware

The presence of rage is the absence of fullness in life.-WB

I take one last glance at Tiera as she and her sister head towards the tram terminal that would eventually get them to wherever they were going. I could only suspect it was eclipse controlled territory. As for me I was headed to a residential district that mainly housed batarians and turians, I don't how that works, but somehow they can coexist.

The cab driver informed me it was going to be a fifteen minute ride to my destination. As I climbed into the old clunker there was an unfamiliar odor, something like rotten cabbage or just nasty hygiene. It was nauseating. Unfortunately my cab driver looked like he had put effort into matching his cabs poor state of upkeep. The unhygienic batarian did try to make pleasant conversation and gave me a quick rundown of where we were headed.

"No, there is nowhere petty crime does not exist on Omega so I cannot really say your headed to a good neighborhood." he warned.

"I'll make sure to keep a sharp eye on my things. Thanks for the advice." As we continue traveling I noticed the depraved conditions that exist throughout the entire station. Filth, decay, rust, and wear are everywhere and in every since of the word. I crane my neck left and right peering outside my window looking at this broken place that I'm supposed to call home. It seemed like an endless horror ride as we made our way across Omega.

After what seemed like a brief moment of depression as I took in the landscape the cab begins to slow.

"Very upscale." I remark, still dispirited by my current surroundings. "And what is that?" I spot a section of structures that are clumsily built upon one another and look near the brink of uninhabitable.

"Your new home." The cab driver announced.

I waste no time gathering my things as I exit the cab. Taking a quick view of my surroundings I can already spot a group of sand junkies hanging around the broken down entrance to my living complex. _Wonderful_ I thought. Further down I spot a group of thugs not associated with any of the major players (blue suns, eclipse, blood pack) heading my direction. Just an nascence really.

"That going to be thirty eight for the ride." the cab driver eagerly states as he hands me the hologram pad to authorize the transfer. I reach through the window to sign it quickly and turn to gather my luggage. I carry my standard issue duffel bag from the alliance which contained my clothes and two other packs one red and one white.

Approaching the entrance to my new 'home' a couple of the junkies notice me and ironically give way and let me through un-harassed. My landlord was waiting for me just inside the main entrance. Also a batarian, he seemed to be a little more concerned with his upkeep compared to my cab driver.

"Ethan Bowers?" he asked

"Yeah how'd you know?" I asked genuinely puzzled by his accuracy.

"Cause you don't look like you're high on sand and you just look too…happy for lack of better words." he said frankly.

"fair enough," I replied. "So where you have me staying?"

"Follow me, I got you a spot on the fourth floor." Without pause he turns and starts for the nearest elevator. I follow close behind him. I again check my surroundings and I'm still stunned by the poor living conditions. The walls and other surfaces are caked with dirt and grime. The floor is warped and uneven and I have to put effort into walking upright. Light was also a problem; the lighting had been damaged, shaded, dimmed, or under supplied in some manner making it rather gloomy. Thankfully the elevator proved to be working properly, but unfortunately the fourth floor was in the same condition as the ground floor.

"Second on the right." he pointed as we neared my room. "Funds will be automatically transferred from your provided account after each rotation. Standard security lock on each unit. Only two authorizations exist, I keep one and this is yours." he hands me a FOB which I then encode to my Omni tool allowing me access to my unit without it. The air was stale and stagnant which me made cough as we entered. It was actually not a step down or up from our bunks in the alliance, except for the depressing view from the one small window in the bedroom.

"Room for one. One bathroom, half kitchen, one bedroom, and all fully furnished."

I'm not sure what he meant by fully furnished as it was clearly not. Only a broken sofa or some kind of couch, a bed that could be clean, or not, and a table with one chair.

"What is wrong with the lighting in this place?" I asked somewhat perturbed as I tried each switch in the rooms.

"It has always been this way. If you want to complain you'll have to head that up with Environment & Utilities." he stated apathetically. And before I had time to actually ask him the whereabouts of which he was already out the door. I wasn't going to let that bother me. So I proceeded to unpack my things.

First thing is always security. I'm not crazy, and I'm not stupid. No doubt everyone around here knew I was fresh and I would give it three days before someone tried to break in. And that was white bag's job. The white bag contained all the things that I want to protect and the necessary measurements to do so. First I put a warning on my door: "Warning DO NOT ENTER. Violators will be killed. Lethal security is active." So far that has worked. I have never had a break in but this was a different place and I had suspicions that my system would be tested. I pull out a transparent sheet approximately 75cm by 75cm and a depth of 3cm. I place it on the inside of my door and it quickly adheres to the surface. Next I rig the door control, if it is hacked it will trigger my anti theft system.

It took nearly two hours to setup my security measures but I know it is absolutely necessary to have them in place. It would have taken a lot less time if I had adequate light, but apparently that is an afterthought here on Omega.

That is my next task. I have to get my utilities either installed or at least functioning. I query my Omni tool to the nearest utility district location.

As I am about to leave the apartment I spot the red bag in the corner of my field of vision. _Come on Bowers are you seriously about to walk right into the middle of one the most chaotic stations in the entire terminus systems without it? _I thought to myself. I briefly weighed the situation out in my mind and closed the door to my apartment.

Again the elevator was the only piece of the complex that seemed to be holding together as I descended. And again I tried my best to dodge all the dips and cracks on the ground, or what's left of it, beneath me. The junkies had move from one side of the entrance to the other which somewhat alerted me as I was trying to anticipate their location. I tried not to make eye contact, but one of the them, a turian, intentionally glared at me.

"Nice backpack. What you got in there?" he stated. His playful tone was obviously laced with threat. As I passed by I could see he was wearing bright orange clothing. I didn't bother to answer his question but continued on my way.

After what seemed like an eternity of walking along filth covered streets my omni tool alerted me that the tram was only one hundred meters from my current location. Thoughts of Tiera scrolled through my mind. I heard her beautiful laugh and saw that remarkable smile again as I entered the tram and made my way to Environment & Utilities.

The ride there was much better than the cab ride. Only because the majority of the tram line ran behind the interior wall leaving nothing to look at but those riding along with you. Which in my case was still…not the best crowd to be seen with. Another load of gangsters, sand pushers, and one lonely drunk, vagrant Salarian. I only assume this because I could smell his intoxication from my seat and his clothing looked as if he had not changed in some time. As I looked at him I could see it was evident he had given up on whatever life he tried to make for himself. I could no longer see any spark of life left in his body. What was left of his mind continually suppressed by drunkenness- no will. I convinced myself that I was never going to end up like that.


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Mass Effect or Bioware

Chapter 4

_A person is born with feelings of envy and hate. If he gives way to them, they will lead him to violence and crime, and any sense of loyalty and good faith will be abandoned. _Xun Zi

I left the dreary tram behind as I arrived at my stop. People passed by to enter the tram with dreadful faces. It was as if a wave of gloom washed over me as I made my way through them. No one smiling, no one made contact. They continued to shuffle on with their existence not caring for anything.

It took sometime to locate the utility district office. There were no distinguishing signs or characteristics to identify it. Maybe poor navigation on my part or the lack of a pin point location from my omni tool. Like most things on Omega (I was beginning to catch onto a theme) the office was understaffed, broken, and gloomy. An uninterested Batarian staffed the only reception desk. His attention was currently occupied by the newest edition of Fornax as I approached.

I paused for only a second waiting for him to acknowledge my presence.

"I got a problem." as soon as I say it I quickly wish I hadn't supplied him with such a vague opener.

"We all do. Unless you got an emergency I suggest you get the fu-" We both jump as an enormous crash rattles the entire office. The resulting quake violently knocks everything free standing to the floor.

"What the hell was that?" I ask.

The Batarian violently erupts with anger and faces the wall to my right ."If you two numb nuts destroy anymore of my business I swear I WILL SAW YOUR BODIES IN HALF WITH THE EDGE OF AN OSD! AND THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" After taking a deep breath he looks over at me. "If you want your damn problem fixed speak with Niseer, he handles the domestic problems, I just work here." he gestures to his left to another wing of the building.

The hallway is short in length probably twenty meters, but with high ceilings. The first room is to my right. The non-illuminated broken label reads "Mechnica."

I discover the source of the impact as two young and angry krogans are engaged in a brawl just inside. One has the other pinned to the wall with his head and shoulders jammed just below the others abdomen. The other tries to break the hold by elbow smashing the other ones head.

"Get the hell off me you moron!" he screams as he lands his blow squarely on the others head. The strike hit perfectly as the other falls to the ground grunting in pain.

"I guess I was wrong, you actually can hit harder than a little bitch!" one said as he rubbed his head from the others blow.

Against my better judgment I interrupted their dispute, "Niseer?" They both look at each other in genuine puzzlement before replying.

"No… I'm Skrag, and this MORON is Cragg." he gestures to the other krogran behind him now on his feet.

I pause before continuing "Twins right?"

"How'd you guess?" Cragg's eyes went wide with honest child like amazement.

"uh…lucky I guess." I reply in kind with equal disbelief at his own bewilderment. "So, where is Niseer?"

"Oh, sorry Cragg is just a little slow," Skrag gestures over his shoulder again. "Niseer is next door, you can't miss him."

"Thanks, and Cragg," He again looks over with his eyes still wide. "Your heads bleeding. Might want someone to take a look at it."

"Damn it Skrag!" Cragg checks his head identifying the wound. He rages and spears Skrag to the ground and the cycle starts over again.

I leave quickly trying not to get caught in their bloody brawl. I find Niseer's Office which is more akin to a closet than anything else. Inside I find a Quarian picking up parts and manuals that were undoubtedly knocked over during the death match next door.

" Niseer?"

"Yep, unfortunately." he replies dispirited.

"I got a question for you," Niseer looks up at me with exhaustion. "I can't help but notice the severely under supplied power that exist in many of the stations habitats."

"Yeah I've noticed too." he returns sharply. "To be blunt we have a infinite number of more pressing matters to get to. I have broken power turbines in multiple grids throughout the station that are failing to pressurize equally. You know what happens when they fail?" Niseer's frustration was pouring out and I was just unlucky enough to be the receiver of it.

"Yes I am familiar with Turian, Human, and Asari pneumatic systems and what that would mean to a station like this in its current state. Total failure of the exterior hull."

It's hard to read Quarian expressions especially when they are in their environmental suits, but I could tell Niseer was caught off guard by my accurate assessment as he tilted his head in disbelief.

"Alliance military academy, mechanical engineering, heavy kinetic ballistics."

Niseer laughs genuinely at my explanation. "And you come here wanting help from me? I should be asking you for help." He ushers me in " Please, have a seat."

"I don't want to get roped into anything here, I just want the lights in my bathroom to work." I can already tell where Niseer is going next and I hope I'm wrong.

"Like I said, I have a mountain of problems that keeps growing everyday. I'm understaffed and our funding is not enough to even get second rate equipment from any merchants. You can thank that power greedy slut in Afterlife for that one. I don't know how she thinks she will control Omega when it finally caves in or falls apart which it is sure to do sooner than later." Niseer continues to fume.

"I understand your problem-" Niseer Interrupts.

"I have a contract from the Blue Suns. Apparently the Blood Pack have recruited a number of Vorcha and are starting a war in the lower environmental district. Supposedly a plague has broken out and all the blame is on you humans. No offense." Niseer apologizes. I simply shrug in response

"Now, a couple of the higher ups from the Blue Suns have asked me to repair some damaged environmental equipment which unless repaired soon would make the entire district uninhabitable. Someone with your expertise would be invaluable to me because to be honest Skrag and Cragg are just heavy lifters. I'll make you an offer. You help me with this contract and I'll make sure to either repair the power in your facility or have you relocated." The thought of living somewhere else was appealing, for only a moment.

"To be honest Niseer I can probably fix the power myself, but it's not something I want to do." I try to slant the favor on my side hoping he can improve the deal.

"I understand that." his tone almost apologetic "I am asking you. Will you help me?" Unfortunately my moral fiber got the best of me. I knew if I was going to start something here on Omega I would need as many contacts as possible. And from what I have already seen of its locals Niseer wasn't that bad of a candidate.

"So what specifically do you need me to do? You mentioned Blue Suns and Blood Pack. How much violence has occurred, what sort of numbers are we taking about? Are the Blue Suns escorting us to the location? What is our exit plan in case the worst happens?" I rattle off questions fiercely trying to see if there is a plan at all.

"Slow down, slow down. Yes we will be escorted by Blue Sun. they have promised a squad to personally guard us the entire route." Niseer tries his best to assure me. "Cragg and Skrag will be coming along as well, and we have a M.U.L.E. to carry the heavy equipment and parts necessary for the repair."

"Does anyone have any real combat training?" I ask directly.

"No." Niseer does not hesitate with the truth.

"Listen, I just got here today and I don't want my first day to be my last. You got to do something more for me here. Look, many organizations see you for mechanical problems on the station correct?" Niseer simply nods in agreement. "Okay now we're going places. Do you have any contacts with the Eclipse?"

"A couple, but not reliable." he replies doubtfully.

"Do you have any schematics of the area we will be going into?"

"That I can help you with," He reaches for a drawer on his small desk and retrieves an OSD. "This should have all levels of the district we are going to." I quickly download it to my omni tool and began scanning the entire map.

"I'm noticing something here. This is showing that most, if not all the corridors and docks are separately sealed and to be honest quite easy to defend." I look over at Niseer for an explanation.

I notice the highly ornate and striking colors of his environmental suit. I must admit the Quarians are very friendly given their current circumstances. They are nomads in a day and age where you would think that to be impossible given the abundance of our galaxy. It must be a sad world to live in. Your home is a home away from home. Then upon reaching adulthood you must travel the galaxy searching for anything useful to your people. You are despised as vagrants and inferiors by other species who by all means are equals. This makes the Quarians a strong species, they meet adversity on every level with every passing day. They exhibit both strong individuality and community, which would seem hard to balance in any culture. Their military force is highly disciplined and unified, but each member expresses themselves with their varied environmental suits and equipment. Similarly they name each of their space vessels, but unlike the Alliance fleet these names are of families, communities, or individuals. The ability to remain as one and yet retain self independence is admirable especially in today's intergalactic community. If Niseer reflects the qualities of most Quarians here on Omega then I'm going to need more friends like him.

Niseer rubs the back of neck as he tries to remember each section of the station.

"Yeah that section was one of the first to be built on this station for obvious reasons. And that was the only design deemed safe enough in case of an accident."

"Okay, I can make that work to our advantage. Let me check my things." I quickly set my red bag down and open it up searching for anything that could help.

"Here we go. I made this myself. It's a Tech Armor, highly durable and has incredibly fast recharge rate. I basically reverse engineered the weapons systems I worked in in the military. It was part of my task to also make an armor that could counter the weapons we created. Can't say I have anymore like it, but I do have a personal defense pistol, and a couple of other helpful devices. If we can use-" Niseer raises his hand as his desk hologram alerts him of an incoming call. He queues his helmet piece to answer and I can tell by his reaction it is a pressing matter. He hardly has time to get a word out before the transmission is terminated. Without explanation he quickly moves to his storage unit grabbing parts and equipment.

"Skrag, Cragg! Blue Suns need those repairs now. Get the parts ready to move. You two might want to suit up, some kind of plague in the area." Niseer returns his attention to me "Sorry to put you on the spot, but will you be joining us?"

"Can you get me in with the Eclipse?" Niseer reluctantly returns with a nod.


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5_

_On the contrary, the soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war. _Douglas MacArthur

I have to admit I don't why I'm here. I wanted to say no, but in the end I just couldn't. Before I even got settled into this place I find myself in this mess. A real shit hole. To be honest the mercenary groups have done more damage to this place than the plague. It looked like it had seen heavy combat. Gunshots and burn marks scarred every wall and surface in sight.

I choke on the air as I exit the transport. It is filled with toxins and terrible fumes. It was the smell of burning flesh that got to me. It was nauseating.

"What the hell is that smell?" Cragg snarled as the odor assaulted his nasals.

"Better if you don't know Cragg." I reply quickly.

The escort group arrived in short order as we began mobilizing our equipment off the transport. I didn't really help much, I was too busy watching.

The Blue Suns escort was only comprised of some of their brand new would-be recruits. I quickly estimated they would be good cannon fodder, but not much else.

"The fighting has moved further into the environmental wing, but where we are gaining ground the Blood Pack is taking it back else ware." One of the guards informed us. My confidence took another nose dive as I noticed the one doing the talking was just too young. The kid looked barely eighteen by my estimates. I just hoped I wouldn't have to see him killed or worse.

"We have to take a slight detour through a temporary medical clinic before we can reach our objective." The kid informed us.

"Give us five minutes and we will be ready to move." Niseer scrambled to get everything ready to go.

"Hey do we need the K.E.I.S.?" Cragg asked as if begging more than inquiring.

"Why," Nisser replied sharply. "If you think you and Skragg can carry it along with everything else."

"Alright! Hey Skragg did you hear that. We get to bring the K.E.I.S.!" Cragg was enthusiastic to say the least. You'd think from his excitement that he had just courted a female Krogran.

"K.E.I.S.?" I defer to Niseer.

"It's their special little toy that they've been working on, well more like stole and rigged for their own interests." I can tell Niseer hated discussing the subject.

"Hey do you think we're going to need some heat sink polymers for the environment turbines?" Skragg asks Niseer pointing to the small supply they brought along.

"Uh," Niseer was having a hard time juggling all of this together.

"Yeah just bring it. If the turbines are okay then we will more than likely need it for something else." I was trying to keep things moving. The less time we spend here the better.

After some quick organizing we were ready to move. The escorts informed us that it would be just a fifteen minute walk to the clinic.

The same scene of destruction scarred the entire path up to the clinic. Blood went from scattered about to concentrated trails as we neared just outside the clinic. It was more of a collection point of the butchery that was taking place between the two gangs. Apparently neither organizations had proper medical staff, so those available were brought here to setup a quasi neutral zone for their wounded. It was crowded to say the least. Civilians and gang members flooded the walkways. Most sat or crouched in any spot they could find. Others lay about trying their best to rest and recover. If the sight wasn't sobering enough the smell was. I thought it was bad before, but here….their wounds were festering and others diseases were going to be a problem if not already.

"This is not good. How many are here?" I secure and activate my suit breather as I pass another victim whose bodily fluids were leaking around her.

"I'm not sure now, this is only my third visit here. First time there were fewer people. And the smell was tolerable." Thankfully the kid kept a good pace as we maneuvered around the injured. I couldn't stand being here any longer.

"Cragg! Move it!" I turned around as Niseer yelled behind me.

He was just standing there. Almost frozen. His large eyes were focused on a small asari child. I rushed over trying to keep Cragg moving, but then I froze as well.

The child was standing next to her parent who was badly injured and unconscious. She stared back at us as we stood over her. An overbearing yoke of helplessness fell on us as we stood there. Her face was bruised and swollen and her clothing drenched in sweat and blood. It was completely silent, all the noise of the clinic faded as we looked at the horrible scene before us.

It makes me think about our future. How can we do this to ourselves. How can we continue down this path of self destruction. Each generation should strive to make their children's world better. To give them more opportunities, more luxuries, more choices than they ever had. We have to do this. We have to enable our children with greater prospects and responsibilities. If we fail to do this then we have failed at any chance of a brighter future. And I look at this child, and the future that she may have…and I don't wish this on anyone. There must have been a lot of hate to strike a child like this, and for what? A bigger piece of turf on literal orbiting junk yard.

Cragg shifted his weight slightly and the young girl quickly retreated just a half step back to her mother. She grabbed her mothers limp arm clasping it tightly to her chest as tears began to trickle down her cheeks leading to her split and bloodied lips.

I couldn't move. I didn't know how to react. How do I fix this, how can you heal this poor and broken child. Nothing, not even a kind word comes to mind.

Finally I breathe and look over at Cragg whose jaw has gone slack. The shock and disbelief on his face are clearly present.

"Don't look at their faces," I demand. No response. I punch Cragg to get his attention and he quickly glances towards me. "Don't look at their faces!"

"What? Why not?" Cragg asks.

"You just can't. I know you want to help, but there is nothing you can do for them standing here. We have to keep moving to make those repairs. That's how we help." I try to get him refocused on our task in order to get him moving again.

It took a moment or two but eventually Cragg snapped out of it and started walking again. He was definitely shaken by the violence around him. I hope he can keep his mind focused.

"Commander Shepard if you could look for an assistant of mine. He has been missing for some time now."

I heard the salarian speaking just few paces to my left. I heard that name before. I spotted the infamous N7 insignia on the armor plating.

"Son of a bitch." My disbelief also caught everyone else's attention.

"What's going on?" Niseer inquired.

"Apparently the dead can walk." I should've have thought about my surroundings as I blurted that statement out.

"Is that your famous Commander Shepard?" Niseer questions as he takes another look at her.

"Stay here." I replied sharply

Twenty steps. My Omni tool alerted me of my spiked heart rate as I neared her. Fifteen steps. I saw the cerberus uniforms and it made since. It was clear to me that what I thought I had put in my past had not stayed there. Ten steps. I had to let her know how I felt. Five steps. There were other Cerberus agents surrounding her, but I didn't care.

"Alright Mordin we'll see what we can do, but once we get them back online I have your coop-"

Her eyes met mine just as I got close enough. Good, I wanted her to see this coming and not be able to stop it. I put almost everything I had into that one.

One of my knuckles cracked as my right cross landed squarely on her jaw.

She shouldn't be alive. She may be a hero to the citadel, but I know what she is capable of.

"That's for the Corinth you piece of shit!" I made enough noise to get every guard and patient's attention in that clinic. Before she could recover I put my boot to her throat and my sidearm aimed at her head. She immediately grabbed my leg and tried to escape, but I only pressed harder.

"Give me one reason not to!" I raged.

"I got one right here!" I heard another Cerberus agent behind me pump his shotgun.

My heart was pounding away in my chest, and my breathing was erratic. Her eyes were now swelling with water, but not from sadness or regret. She was incapable of that. I thought of all those men and women that she so carelessly threw away. She cheated the same death that she so easily forced upon others.

By now everyone who had a weapon was pointing it at someone. The mercenaries pointed at each other. The Salarian had also fashioned a weapon at me along with the other Cerberus agents. Luckily, our escort group sprung into action and had guns pointed at Cerberus. The whole clinic was one flinch away from turning into the same war zone just outside.

I wanted to kill her. I couldn't think of anything else. All those people turning in their graves because of her.

"You shouldn't be alive! You were dead!"

Finally my gaze went from her choking face to my hand. It was trembling.

"No. I'm not a _**ruthless**_ murderer. We live by a code in the Alliance. I haven't abandoned it like you Shepard." I said what I thought, nothing more was necessary.

It took like what seemed forever for me to lower my weapon, but it was holstered at any rate. Everyone else was still frozen, waiting to blow each other way. I raised my boot from her throbbing neck and quickly turned away. As I marched towards the exit I could hear Shepard coughing and Niseer praising some native deity at the fact that he was still alive. Everyone else was seeming to cool down as they lowered their weapons and glared at me.

"You want to tell me what just happened there? You nearly got us all killed just then!" Niseer pursued closely as I stepped outside of the clinic.

I hoped stepping outside would help, but it wasn't like I was going to get fresh air on a space station. In fact it was worse. Just to my left the clinic had started stacking casualties. They were numerous and they were rotting.

"How the hell do you know the 'Commander Shepard'"? I wasn't sure if Niseer was asking in disbelief that I knew a living legend or that I wanted to kill one.

I thought about it and considering how I had just put all their lives on the line like Shepard had I owed him this much.


End file.
